Carton



0. L. VINES Sept. 6, 1955 CARTON Filed April 11 INVENTO R 05cm 1L. Firms United States Patent CARTON Oscar L. Vines, New York, N. Y., assignor; to Alford Cartons, Ridgefieltl Park, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 11, 1952, Serial No. 281,791

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-28) This invention relates to cartons and more particularly to partitioned cartons in which the carton and its partitions are formed from a single blank.

In copending U. S. patent application Serial No. 202,- 914, filed December 27, 1950, l have described a partitioned carton for packaging a plurality of articles such as apples and the like which maintains individual separation of the packaged articles while holding the article securely within the carton and at the same time allowing for visual inspection of the contents by a pro spective purchaser. This carton is formed from a blank composed essentially of a top panel, a bottom panel and two side panels. The top panel is provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections adapted to be folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the erected carton about fold lines extending transversely across the top panel. An important feature of this carton is that the central portions of the fold lines of each pair of fold sections are spaced further apart than the extremities thereof so that the folding of each section down wardly and inwardly into the erected carton causes the central portion of the top panel adjacent the fold lines to be arched.

The present invention constitutes an improvement over the carton described in the above-identified copending application. The improvements that I have made in the carton structure provide means for retaining articles in the individual compartments thereof without loss of visibility of the contents or the inclusion of complicated additional structure and provide a modified configuration of the fold sections so as to facilitate erection of the carton. I have also made provision for an end panel formed integrally with the top panel and side panels '7 which will prevent the packaged articles from escaping from the otherwise open end of the carton, and my int proved carton may be formed with several rows of article= prises a center cutout portion and outer fold portions communicating therewith. The outer fold portions of each pair of transverse fold lines extenddiver'gently in wardly from the side panels toward the central cutout portion, and the center of each central cutout portion project's convergently toward the cutout portion of the i H other transverse fold line of said pair. I

When the fold sections are folded downwardly into the erected carton, the divergently' extending outer fold portions of each of the transverse foldlines impart to the top panel adjacent the transverse fold line an arched W configuration and cause each fold section to assume a substantially concave form; in addition, the convergently extending cutout portion of said transverse fold line causes the central portion of the arched top panel to be formed with a substantially horizontal articleretaining lip. The arched top panel, the eoncave fold sections, and the article-retaining lip cooperate to strengthen and stiifen the erected carton, provide additional protection for the contents of the carton, adapt the compartments of the carton to the rounded contours of itscontents, and retain within the compartments the articles positioned therein.

My new carton may also embody certain structural modifications or variations which facilitate the erection and use olf the carton. These and other novel features of the carton structure of my invention 'will be further understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which V Fig. l shows a representative portion of a blank from which the improved partitioned carton of my invention is formed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective partial view of a carton formed and erected from the blank of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a representative portion of a carton blank embodying modifications which facilitate erection and use of the carton;

Fig. 4' shows a representative portion of a blank from which a partitioned carton having twoparallelrows of article-"retaining compartment is formed; and I Fig. 5 is a perspective partial view of a carton formed and erected from the blank of Pi g. 4.

The carton blanks 11 and 12', shown partially in Figs. 1 and 3 respectively, resemble in many important respects thecarton blank described in my copending application Serial No. 292,914. The blank is substantially rectangu lar in shape and is provided with longitudinal fold lines 13, 14, Hand 16 which divide the blank essentially into a glue flap 17, a side wall panel 13, a top panel 19, a second side wall panel 20 and a bottom panel 21. The blank'is further provided with a plurality of pairs of spaced fold sections 22. Each pair of fold sections is defined by a pair of substantially coextensive longitudinal cutout lines 23, a pair of substantially bowedtransverse fold lines 24 and a traverse cutout line 25. The longitudinal cutout lines are preferably'of a trough-shaped configuration and are disposed in the side panels 18 and 20 adjacent the fold lines '14 and 15. The transverse fold lines 24 extend from both extremities of each longitudinal cutout line 23 across the top panel to connect with the opposite extremities of the other longitudinal cutout line of each pair thereof. The transverse cutout line 25 connects substantially centrally with the longitudinal cutout lines 23 of each pair (except when the endfold seetionsare modified to form the hingedend flap structore hereinafter described). The fold sections 22 thus defined are formed primarily from the top panel 19 and partially at the lateral extremities thereof from the side panels 18 and 20 adjoining the top panel and are adapted to be folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the carton when it is erected.

f To erect the carton, the blank is folded along the longitudinal fold lines 13, 14, 15and 16 and the glue flap 17 is adhesively secured to a glue strip 214 on the bottom panel 21. The fold sections 22 are folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the carton about the transverse fold lines 24. The essentially bowed or convex configuration of the transverse fold lines '24 causes-the top panel adjacent these fold lines to be arched and causes the fold sections 22 to assume the substantially concave configuration characteristic of my partitioned carton structure.

To, thebasic carton structure described above, I have Patented Sept. 6, 1955 made certain novel modifications and improvements which greatly enhance its strength, utility and ease of erection. For example, articles placed in the compartments of the carton exhibit a tendency to fall out when the carton is accidentally overturned or held up-side-down. To overcome this tendency, I have provided, adjacent each compartment, article-retaining lips or projections 26 formed in the top panel 19. To provide these lips 26, and at the same time retain the characteristic arched configuration of the top panel, each of the transverse fold lines 24 in the carton of my present invention comprises a central cutout portion 27 connected at its extremities with outer or distal fold portions 28. The outer fold portions 28 of each pair of transverse fold lines 24 connect with the extremities of their associated longitudinal cutout lines 23 and extend divergently inwardly from these extremities. Similarly, the central cutout portions 27 of the pairs of transverse fold lines 24 extend convergently toward one another. When the fold sections 22 are folded downwardly into the carton, the combined effect of the divergently extending fold portions 28 and the convergently extending cutout portions 27 is to impart to the adjacent top panel the arched configuration characteristic of my carton and to form the article retaining lips 26.

In addition to the article retaining lip 26 formed in the top panel, I have modified the lateral extremities of the endmost fold sections 22 to provide a hinged end flap structure 29 that is the substantial equivalent of an integral end wall. This distal ends 23a of the troughshaped longitudinal cutout lines 23 associated with each endmost fold section terminate an appreciable distance from the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 15 (which form the longitudinal edges of the top panel 19). The transverse fold lines 24 extend laterally from the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 15 to connect with the distal extremities 23a of the longitudinal cutout lines. The lateral extensions 24a of the transverse fold lines intersect the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 15 at an angle of about 45 as illustrated in Fig. 1. When the carton is erected and the several pairs of fold sections 22 are folded downwardly into the carton about the transverse fold lines 24, the endmost fold section folds to form the hinged end flap 29 that is integrally connected with both the top panel and the side panels. The hinged end flap 29, shown in its erected position in Fig. 2, effectively prevents the contents of the carton from escaping through the otherwise open end of the erected carton.

To make the erection of the carton and the insertion of articles therein as free from difficulty as possible, I have devised several modifications of the various fold lines and cutout lines defining the fold sections 22. These modifications are incorporated in the carton blank 12 shown in Fig. 3. The trough-shaped longitudinal cutout lines 23 cause the outer ends of the fold sections 22 to project laterally beyond the side panels 18 and 20 of the erected carton. Hence, when the fold sections 22 are pressed downwardly into the carton, these projecting outer ends tend to rub and bind against the side panels, particularly at the sharp corner of the fold section formed by the intersection of the transverse cutout line with the longitudinal cutout line 23. To prevent binding at this point, the corner is advantageously rounded off by means of a central arched or curved portion of the longitudinal cutout line 23 which imparts an oblique configuration to the corner which allows the fold section to be pressed into the erected carton without catching on the side panel. The folding of the fold section may be further facilitated by causing the portion 14a and 15a of the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 15 to extend obliquely across each fold section 22 as shown in Fig. 3. Thus, the lateral extremities of each fold section 22 is provided with oblique fold lines 14a and 15a which extend approximately longitudinally of the carton blank but which diverge somewhat away from one another in the direction of the associated transverse fold line 24. As a consequence thereof, when the fold section 22 is pressed into the erected carton, the outer portions of the fold section will be folded upwardly and inwardly about the obliquely extending portion 14a and 15a of the longitudinal fold lines and substantially clear of binding contact with the side panels.

In like manner, the endmost fold section, which forms the hinged end panel 29 described above, may be modified to ease the folding thereof. Oblique fold lines 31 extend from the intersections of the transverse fold line 24 with each of the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 15 toward the transverse cutout line 25 and connect therewith. When the center of the endmost fold section is manually pressed into the carton, the paperboard first bends slightly along these oblique fold lines 31 thus allowing the hinged outer portions of the fold section to be folded easily into the carton without undue stress or pressure.

To provide for more than one row of article receiving compartments, the modification of my carton blank shown in Fig. 4 may be employed. This carton blank 35 is provided with longitudinal fold lines 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 which divide the blank into a glue flap 42, an interior panel 43, a bottom panel 44, a side panel 45, a top panel 46, a side panel 47 and another bottom panel 48. To erect the carton, the blank 35 is folded about the longitudinal fold lines, the underside of the glue flap 42 is. adhesively secured to the underside of a glue strip 46a adjoining the center line 50 on the top panel 46, and the underside of a glue strip 48b on the bottom panel 48 is adhesively secured to the outer side of a glue strip 4415 on the bottom panel 44.

The carton blank thus erected is shown in Fig. 5. It forms an open-ended box-like structure divided by the interior panel 43 into two longitudinal compartments each of which is the substantial equivalent of the carton structure shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the top panel is divided by the center line 50 into two longitudinal portions each of which is the substantial equivalent of the top panel 19, the bottom panels 44 and 48 (which together form the bottom wall of the carton of Fig. 5) are each the substantial equivalent of bottom panel 21, the interior panel 43 is the substantial equivalent of one of the side walls 18 or 20, and the side walls 45 or 47 are the equivalent of the other of said side walls 18 or 20. The center line 50 is partially demarked by spaced longitudinal cut lines 51 which are the substantial equivalent of the longitudinal cutout lines 23. The longitudinal cutout lines 23 and 51, the pairs of transverse fold lines 24, and the transverse cutout lines 25 together define, in the top panel 46, two parallel rows of pairs of fold sections 22. The glue flap 42 is provided with longitudinal cut lines 53, lateral cut lines 54, and fold lines 55 which, when the glue flap is adhesively secured to the top panel 46, coincide with the longitudinal cut lines 51, the transverse cutout lines 25 and the outer fold portion of the transverse fold lines 24. These cut lines and fold lines in glue flap 42 are necessary in order to allow the fold sections 22 to be pressed downwardly into the erected carton.

When the fold sections 22 are folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the erected carton as shown in Fig. 5, the outer portions of the fold section adjacent the side panels 45 and 47 fold upwardly and inwardly about oblique fold lines 39a and 40a and the inner portions of the fold sections 22 adjacent the interior wall 43 slide downwardly into the carton along the interior wall 43. The divergently extending outer fold portions of each pair of transverse fold lines 24, and the convergently extending central cutout portions thereof, impart to the top panel adjacent the transverse fold lines the arched configuration characteristic of my carton and form therein the article 'restaining lip 26. In addition, the endmost fold section 22 of each of the two rows of fold sections 5 is modified to form the hinged end-flap structure 29 described in connection with the carton blanks 11 and 12. In the modification shown in Fig. 5, however, the 'end flap 29 is integrally secured to the side panel at one side only. This has been found to be suflicient to prevent the .contents of the carton from escaping through the open.

ends thereof. Thus, as shown in Fig. 5, a carton having a double row of individual article-retaining compartments is formed which embodies the improvements in carton structure that I have described hereinbefore.

The carton blanks-of my invention will generally be folded and glued by the carton manufacturer and will be delivered to the packer in a flattened condition. To prevent the flattened carton from becoming disarranged and hard to handle prior to use, the various longitudinal and transverse cutout lines referred to hereinbefore may advantageously be interrupted at intervals by relatively short uncut portions of the cut lines. These short uncut portions of the cut lines form frangible webs which prevent such disarrangement of the fold sections but which are, however, easily broken when the carton is erected and articles are inserted therein. Thus, the articles may be inserted in their individual compartments merely by pressing them against the top panel at the point where each pair of fold sections 22 is separated by the trans verse cutout line 25. The pressure of the articles against the fold sections 22 breaks the frangible webs connecting them and causes them to fold downwardly and divergently inwardly into the carton. At the same time, the arched configuration characteristic of the carton is imparted to the top panel by this folding action. Each article, when fully inserted into the compartment, is retained therein by the article-retaining lips 26. Moreover, the fold sections 22 tend to resist the presence of each article and tend to force each article back out of the carton. As a result, each article is grasped resiliently between a pair of fold sections 22 and the article-retaining lips 26, a function which further adapts the compartments to a substantial variation in the size of the articles which may be held in a single carton. In addition to the adaptability of each individual compartment to the size of the article inserted therein, the ability of each fold section to swing about its fold line 24 provides an overall adaptability which permits an undersized article in one compartment to compensate for an oversized article in an adjacent compartment.

As will be seen from the foregoing discussion, articles are inserted into the erected carton by pressing them past the article retaining lip 26 into the compartment.

If the article to be placed in the carton is a relatively F soft skinned fruit such, for example, as a peach or a tomato, there is a possibility that the skin of this fruit may be bruised or ruptured. To avoid damage to such fruit, a short transverse slit 32 may be provided in the center of the top panel 19 adjacent each article-retaining lip 26, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby makes the top panel more flexible at this point. Thus, when a soft skinned fruit is pressed into the compartment, the article retaining lip 26 will bend slightly to accommodate its passage without damage to the fruit. When the fruit is wholly within the compartment the lip 26 will spring back into its normally horizontal position and there will serve its function of retaining the fruit in the compartment.

I claim:

1. A blank for a partitioned carton comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, and at least two side panels foldably connected to the top panel and the bottom panel, the top panel being provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections, each pair of fold sections being defined by a pair of spaced transverse fold lines extending substantially transversely across the top panel between adjacent side panels andby a transverse out line positioned substantially intermediate the fold lines of each pair thereof so that the sections of each pair can be folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the erected carton blank: about said pairs of fold lines, each of said transverse fold lines comprising a center cutout portion'and outerfold portions communicating therewith,

a longitudinal out line positioned in each side wall panel and interconnecting the proximate terminal ends of each tion projecting convergently toward the; cutout portion of theother fold line of said pairof fold sections.

2. A blank for a partitionedcarton comprisingv a top.

panel, a bottom panel, and at least two side panels foldably connected to the top panel and the bottom panel, the top panel being provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections, each pair of fold sections being defined by a pair of spaced transverse fold lines extending substantially transversely across the top panel between adjacent side panels and by a transverse cut line positioned substantially intermediate the fold lines of each pair thereof so that the sections of each pair can be folded downwardly and divergently inward into the interior of the erected carton blank about said pairs of fold lines, each of said transverse-fold lines comprising a center cutout portion and outer fold portions communicating therewith, a longitudinal out line positioned in each side wall panel'and interconnecting the proximate terminal ends of each pair of transverse fold lines, the outer fold portions of each pair of transverse fold lines extending divergently inwardly from said side panels toward said central cutout portions, 'the'center of each central cutout.

portion projecting convergently toward the cutout portion of the other fold line of said pair of fold sections, and lateral extensions of the outer fold portion of the transverse fold line communicating with a lateral extension of a proximate one of said transverse cut lines in the endrnost fold section.

3. A blank for a partitioned carton comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, and at least two side panels foldably connected to the top panel and the bottom panel, the top panel being provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections, each pair of fold sections being defined by a pair of spaced transverse fold lines extending substantially transversely across the top panel between adjacent side panels and by a transverse out line positioned substantially intermediate the fold lines of each pair thereof so that the sections of each pair can be folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the erected carton blank about said pairs of fold lines, each of said transverse fold lines comprising a center cutout portion and outer fold portions communicating therewith, a longitudinal'cut line positioned in each side wall panel and interconnecting the proximate terminal ends of each pair of transverse fold lines, the outer fold portions of each pair of transverse fold lines extending divergently inwardly from said side panels toward said central cutout portions, the center of each central cutout portion projecting convergently toward the cutout portion of the other fold line of said pair of fold sections, and lateral slit lines disposed in the top panel intermediate the central cutout portions of adjacent pairs of the transverse fold lines and spaced therefrom.

4. A partitioned carton composed essentially of a top panel, a bottom panel, and at least two side panels, the

top panel being provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections each pair of which is adapted to define a compartment within the boundaries of said panels, each pair of fold sections being defined by a pair of transversely disposed fold lines extending across the top panel between adjacent side panels and by a transverse cut line positioned intermediate the transverse fold lines and connected terminally with the terminal portions of the transverse fold lines, each of said top panel transverse fold lines comprising a central cut portion communicating with distal scored portions, said distal scored portions of the transverse fold lines for each pair of fold sections extending divergently inwardly from each side panel, each fold section being folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the erected carton about said transverse fold lines with resulting divergent bowing of the fold sections of each pair thereof and upward-arching of the top panel between proximate transverse fold lines of proximate pair's thereof, the central cut portion of each transverse fold line having a contour such that the center portion of the top panel defined thereby projects longitudinally over aportion of each compartment defined by each pair of bowed fold sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

